Uutiset

EU Globalisation Fund support for workers increases three-fold in 2010 to over € 83 million

22/08/2011

Nearly 23 700 workers dismissed due to economic crisis and major structural changes in world trade patterns were helped by the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) last year, according to a report adopted by the European Commission – more than double the number of workers helped by the Fund in 2009.

The €83.5 million paid out by the EU's Globalisation Fund to nine EU countries (Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain) are intended to help the national authorities as they support dismissed workers in finding new job opportunities, over a 24-month period following the date of application.

The EGF co-financed 65% of the measures, with national sources providing the remaining 35%. The concrete measures for the job-seekers included intensive, personalised job-search assistance, various types of vocational training, up-skilling and retraining measures, temporary incentives and allowances for the duration of the active measures, and other types of support such as business creation and public employment schemes.

Three times as many cases were approved in 2010 compared with 2009, and a 60 % increase in terms of EGF co-financing was paid out to EU countries.

Background

The Commission received a total of 31 applications for EGF support in 2010 - one more than in 2009. These were submitted by 12 EU countries for a total of € 169 994 542 in EGF support to target 31 995 redundant workers in 16 sectors. Three EU countries applied for the first time in 2010: the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovenia.